Discover
/
Article

Of Love, Physics and Other Passions: The Letters of Albert and Mileva

AUG 01, 1994
In the letters between the young Einstein and his classmate Mileva Marić, prophetic musings on the electrodynamics of moving bodies vie with urgent professions of love.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881398

Gerald Holton

The popular image of the scientist as “dispassionate,” and therefore somehow less than human, is undoubtedly bolstered by the convention according to which modern scientists remove discussion of their personal hopes and desires as much as possible from the publication of their research results. There is at least one good reason for the appearance of impersonality in the scientific literature: It minimizes obstacles against building consensus and thus hastens the conversion of private science into public science.

References

  1. 1. J. Stachel, ed., The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, vol. 1, Princeton U.P., Princeton, N.J. (1987).

  2. 2. A. Reiser, Albert Einstein, Albert & Charles Boni, New York (1930).

More about the Authors

Gerald Holton. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1994_08.jpeg

Volume 47, Number 8

Related content
/
Article
Technical knowledge and skills are only some of the considerations that managers have when hiring physical scientists. Soft skills, in particular communication, are also high on the list.
/
Article
Professional societies can foster a sense of belonging and offer early-career scientists opportunities to give back to their community.
/
Article
Research exchanges between US and Soviet scientists during the second half of the 20th century may be instructive for navigating today’s debates on scientific collaboration.
/
Article
The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards in 1953. Suspecting political interference with the agency’s research, scientists fought back—and won.
/
Article
Alternative undergraduate physics courses expand access to students and address socioeconomic barriers that prevent many of them from entering physics and engineering fields. The courses also help all students develop quantitative skills.
/
Article
Defying the often-perceived incompatibility between the two subjects, some physicists are using poetry to communicate science and to explore the human side of their work.

Get PT in your inbox

Physics Today - The Week in Physics

The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.

Physics Today - Table of Contents
Physics Today - Whitepapers & Webinars
By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.